Cancel your plans for the afternoon, Rockstar has launched the first gameplay trailer from Grand Theft Auto 5. And here it is:

The footage shows sections of the helicopter mission revealed to The Guardian last October, as well as glimpses at the lifestyles of lead characters Michael, Trevor and Franklin. Golf, tennis and cycling are all available between missions, while the huge map is open and explorable from the outset.

Set in the sleazy city of Los Santos, GTAV is structured around a series of increasingly ambitious heists. Players plan each robbery themselves, arranging getaway cars and deciding on all-out attacks or more intelligent stealth-based approaches. In one trailer snippet we see knock out gas being fed into a jewelry store. As revealed previously, you also get to build your own crew, opting either for expensive veterans or cheapo newcomers.

The new trailer also mentions the game's re-worked mechanics, which appear to include an improved cover and targeting system – the latter is set to be customisable, with players able to choose between auto-aim and free-aim with several variations in between. There will be a wealth of options when it comes to spending hard-earned cash: from cool tattoos to investing in real estate, to customising sports cars, the world has a lot to offer criminal masterminds.

The trailer ends with a teaser of the game's multiplayer mode, which shows gangs of players running about the city. It's likely there will be options similar to the free-roaming online options found in GTA IV and Red Dead Redemption.